Link through the Lötschberg

The lure of the South

Like the Gotthard Tunnel, the Lötschberg Tunnel drastically cuts travel times between North and South. On this advertising poster from 1935, the tracks lead directly to a radiant Milan Cathedral. (1935, SBB Historic)

The Lötschberg line and its tunnel connect Switzerland’s western plateau with Italy.

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Following construction of the Gotthard and Simplon lines, western and eastern Switzerland as well as the Bern region want their own Alpine railway. In 1906, the rail company Berner Alpenbahngesellschaft Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS), the Canton of Bern and the Bern Electricity Company form a syndicate that successfully constructs the line. The twin-track Lötschberg tunnel is completed in 1911 and becomes operational in 1913. As a result, there is now a direct rail link from Switzerland's western plateau to Italy.

« Building a rail line across the Alps will require such considerable financial resources that, in this respect alone, there can never be talk of a second, let alone a third. »